The Best Possible Bill: MCBA Policy Summit & Model Legislation

In late October 2016, the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) held their first ever policy summit in Washington D.C. This event brought some of the brightest minds in minority cannabis together with the goal of creating a model legalization bill that’s more inclusive of people of color.

MCBA: A Growing Voice

The MCBA was started in 2015 with the aim of creating a nonprofit that advocated for the specific needs of people of color in the cannabis industry. Now in early 2017, the organization has really hit its stride with the March release of the model legalization bill. The bill took six months to complete after the initial policy summit and countless hours from MCBA’s board of directors.

The model legislation is clearly thorough. The group tackles the obvious subjects of lowering the barrier of entry and correcting criminal records for cannabis crimes, but also it touches on housing concerns and educational opportunities.

Realism and Optimism

The members of the MBCA are realistic and don’t expect the full bill to be entered into any states legislatures. The hope is that this bill will serve as a model; state representatives and senators can pull bits and pieces from it that fit their state’s needs.

This was a giant undertaking by the Minority Cannabis Business Association that will pay off handsomely for the organization and the states lucky enough to benefit from this work.